[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 23754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                    BAD PROCESS LEADS TO BAD POLICY

  (Mr. LEE of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. LEE of New York. Millions of Americans are frustrated with the 
lack of transparency and the Federal Government, and rightfully so. I 
was dismayed earlier this year when the cap-and-trade national energy 
tax and the enormous stimulus spending bill were rushed to the House 
floor just a few hours before Congress would vote on these massive 
pieces of legislation. There was simply no way for the public, the 
press, or Members of Congress to know exactly what was in these bills 
before they were required to vote on them. Bad process leads to bad 
policy.
  Taxpayers deserve the ability to weigh in on these complicated pieces 
of legislation, and the leaders of Congress have denied the American 
public the right to full transparency in this process.
  Along with more than 180 of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, I 
have signed on to a discharge petition to force the Democratic House 
leadership to make legislation available for public viewing at least 72 
hours before a scheduled vote. This commonsense rule will allow western 
New Yorkers and Americans everywhere the ability to know what Congress 
is voting on and ensure a transparent legislative process.

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